Hair curler



June 20, 1939. 1 E-|SENMAN HAIR CURLER Filed Jan. 27, 1958 v Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oEricE 9 Claims.

l This invention relatesA to hairpins of that type adaptedA to be used in curling a lock of hair and to retain such lock in curled position until it has set. Devices of this character are known to the trade as bobby pins and the present invention deals with an improvement on a device of this character.

One of the objects of thepresent invention is to provide an vimproved hairpin having two shank portions, the ends of which may be locked together thereby to hold the hair in curled position. A further object is to provide a device of the above character, whose shanks are free from projections or hook-like portions, thereby permitting the device to be more easily inserted or withdrawn with respect to the curled hair without disturbing its set. A further object is to provide a device of the last above-mentioned character which will be reliable and eicient in use in holding the curled lock of hair tightly clamped at all times until intentionally released.

A further object is to provide a 'device of the last above-mentioned character in which one portion is movable with respect to the other to permit the same to be used as a handle while actually curling the lock and then to be moved to curling and locked position.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection with the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the various features oi construction of the apparatus, the combination of parts, and in the unique relation of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art more fully to comprehend the underlying features of this invention, that they may embody the same by numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, a drawing depicting three forms of the invention has been annexed as part of this disclosure, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the complete device in locked position.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing one manner in which the various parts may be moved with respect to each other.

Figure 3 is a partial detail elevational view.

Figure 4 is a similar View showing the same parts in open position.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of a modification, partly in section.

Figure 6 is a plan View of the same in locked position.

Figure 7 is a detail view of a further modification.

Figure 8 is adetail view of the flexible connection.

Referring now to the drawing in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1, II) indicates the main base member preferably made from an elongated strip of sheet metal such as semi-resilient steel, one end 0f which is provided with an opening Il for receiving and locking the complementary portion or other shank I2 when manipulated with respect thereto as inthe nature of a bayonet joint. The opposite end of the member I0 is curved upwardly and back upcn itself as at I3, thereby to shield a pivot I4 passing upwardly through the bottom of the member I0, one end cf a clamping member I5 and the end of the shank member IZ. It will be noted that the clamp member I5 hasV its extreme end bent siightly upwardly as shown at I6 and terminates lshort of the extreme end Il' of the member I2. Likewise, the member I2, adjacent the pivot, is provided with a notch i8 which is complementary to a notch 2S at the bend of the main base member l0, whereby the member I2 may be swung completely around on the pivot lli until it reaches a position of substantial alignment, as shown in Fig. 4, or in dotted lines as shown in Fig. 2. Whe-n in such position, the downwardly bent end I'I of the member I2, rides up on the top surface of the member I5 (Fig. 4) and, by reason of the interlocking slots I8 and 29, acts as a cam for holding the member I5 tightly in engagement .with the main shank Ill. of the member l5, as shown in Fig. 1, is flared slightly upwards as at 2l, Fig. 2, thus permitting a lock of hair to be inserted between members E0 and I5, whereupon the extended handle I2, as shown in Fig. 4, permits the device to be rotated, thereby to curl about both of the members I Il and I5. vWhen the curl has been completely formed, then the shank member I2 is moved from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, `back to that shown in Fig. 1, until its eXtreme downwardly bent end 22 is in a position to pass through the slot I I and then to be moved laterally until it assu-mes the position as shown in Fig. 1. The device, with the lock of hair curled thereabout, is then left in this position until the curl has set, whereupon the latch 22 is released and the entire device moved laterally relatively towards the right, thereby to release the curl from its holder.

'I'he form shown in Fig. 5 is preferably made from a single piece of metal bent back upon itself, that is, two Shanks 23 and 2,4 are connected at one end by means ci a loop 25, while their opposite ends are provided with the same form of slot andlatch H and 22, as above described. A slight projection on one member, as indicated at 25, will aid in separating the parts as and when desired.

The form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is more especially adapted to be used with other curling de- The extreme left endv Qll vices, such as the ordinary curling iron, for example, in which the curl is preformed, whereupon the two shanks of the pin are separated to engage the curl after which they are latched in the customary manner.

In Fig. 7 is shown a further modification in which the latch Il and 22 between the parts I0 and I 2 is the same as above described. However, the part I2 instead of swinging about in a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 2, swings at right angles thereto. To accomplish this, the pivot 30 is provided with an opening 3| at its top through which the end 32 of the member I 2 passes to provide a flexible or hinge connection as shown in Fig. 8. The operation of this device is substantially the same as above described.

One of the main points, however, in all of the devices herein is the freedom from material projections, angles, hooks and the like, whereby the device may be either passed into a pre-formed curl or withdrawn from a curl after it has set with a free, easy movement, whereby a distortion or disarrangement of the curl is positively prevented.

The present invention presents a simple and highly ecient hair curling device of the character described in which the parts may be easily and quickly locked to retain the curl in position, as well as to enable the device to'berremoved entirely fromA the r4curl Ywithout disturbance thereof.

The devices may be easily made from stamped sheet metal and assembled at a minimum expense. Being of strong and durable construction, it is not likely to get out of order or break. Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that,Y from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential character# istics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim: 'y

1.V In a hair retaining device of the character described comprising two shanks secured at one end and capable of relative movement at the opposite ends, and a latch for said opposite end in which all portions extend in the saine general direction, thereby to eliminate hooks or projections.

2. in a hair retaining device of the character described, comprising two shanks flexibly secured at one end and capable of relative movement at the opposite ends, and a latch for said opposite end in which all portions extend in the same general direction, thereby to eliminate hooks or projections, said latch including a bayonet hole in one member and a bent tongue on the other, adapted to be passed through said hole and moved laterally in the latched position.

3. In a hair retaining device of the character described, comprising a main prong, a cooperating prong movable relatively thereto and holding means for retaining the two prongs in hair-gripping relation comprising a hole in one member and a substantially rigid latch member cooperating with said hole whereby all of the working parts of the device tend vto point in the same general direction at all times when in operative position.

4. In a hair retaining device of the character described, comprising a main part, a. hair clamping member positioned parallel thereto and a substantially rigid retaining member, said last two members being flexibly connected to the first and one of said members being movable through at Y least degrees.

5. In a hair retaining device of the character described, comprising a main prong, a hair clamping member positioned parallel thereto and a retaining member, said last two members being flexibly connected to the first member and one of said members being movable through a substantial arc, whereby it may be used as a handle while curling alock of hair about the other two, and cooperating latch means on two of said parts wherebyrall three are held in compact relation when closed in which all portions extend in the same general direction.

6. In a hair retaining device of the character described, comprising a main prong,'a hair clamping member positioned parallel thereto and a retaining member, one of said members being pivotally connected to another, whereby it may be moved through a substantial arc, and cooperating latch means on two of said members Whereby all three parts are held in compact relation, said latch member being of a bayonet joint type in which all parts thereof extend substantially in the same direction thereby to free the device from catching projections or hooksvand to permit the same to be inserted in or removed from a curl Without disturbance.

7. In a hair retaining device of the character described, a base member forming one prong, a latch member forming another prong and an intermediate hair gripping member, said prongs having cooperating latch portions at one end and cooperating notches at the other whereby one prong may be rotated through approximately degrees in substantially the plane of the prongs to form an operating handle while curling a lock of hair about theY other two.

8. In a hair retaining device of the character described, a base member forming one prong, a latch member forming another prong and an intermediate hair gripping member, said prongs having cooperating latch portions at one end and cooperating notches at the other whereby one prong may be rotated through approximately 180 degrees in substantially the plane of the prongs to form an operating handle while curling a lock of hair about the other two, one portion of said movable prong having a cam to cooperate with the movable hair-gripping portion when swung to extended position thereby to aid in clamping the hair while forming the curl.

9. In a hair retaining device of the character described, in combination, three substantially rigid members including a base member forming one prong, a second prong associated therewith, and a latch member pivotally mounted near one end to said prongs and having at its other end complementary latch means coacting with the rst, the pivot extending transversely to the planes of said prongs, whereby said latch member may swing in a plane at right angles to the plane of the prong members when unlatched.

LOUIS EISENMAN. 

